Meet the Alexander family

Sunday

As a little girl, Christina Alexander grew up dancing on her dad’s feet.

The two share a love for barbecue potato chips and an affinity for livermush.

Now that she’s grown, Christina and Ted Alexander meet once a week for breakfast at Shelby Cafe after Christina finishes her night shift at Atrium Health Cleveland as a registered nurse.

Ted is a senator for NC District 44.

Although the father-daughter duo are typical in many ways, they have a special story with a unique beginning.

This isn’t the first time their story has been told. Over 20 years ago, the two were featured in The Foothills magazine, which was a Charlotte Observer publication, for Father’s Day. In the old black and white photo that accompanied the story, Ted is seated at a piano with Christina on his lap as they both reach out to press the keys. Christina was 2 years old, and Ted and his wife Patti had just brought her home from a Romanian orphanage.

In the early '90s, Patti and Ted Alexander had one child, Will, and despite wanting to have more children, were unable.

Several years earlier, Ted was watching a program on 20/20 featuring Romanian orphanages and the images it left were indelible. He remembers turning to his wife and remarking that if they were ever to adopt, Romania would be his choice.

“I didn’t think any more of it,” he said.

Then, Ted Alexander got a job out of state and the family moved from Shelby to Richmond, Virginia. There, they met several other families who had adopted and began considering it seriously as an option.

“We prayed about it and decided to adopt internationally,” Ted said.

Patti researched various agencies before settling on Catholic Charities and not long after beginning the process, the agency asked them if they would be interested in adopting a child from Romania, a country the agency had just begun working with.

“It seemed like a confirmation from God,” Ted said.

The couple went through background checks, fingerprinting and home studies. They were given photographs of prospective children and were faced with the agonizing task of choosing one. Patti said she and Ted both felt drawn to the same little girl. They discovered she had been born in a small town in the Carpathian mountains and after being abandoned by her birth mother, she was cared for in an orphanage.

In the summer of 1995, they were all ready to fly to Bucharest, Romania, to see their daughter for the first time. Then, the week before their flight, the Alexanders' were notified that Romanian officials had decided to put a stop to international adoptions and felt it was the state’s responsibility to care for orphaned or abandoned children.

It was a devastating blow for the family. Patti said they had received a photo and short video and already felt connected to their daughter. The only thing left to do was take her home. The Alexanders had sent a family photo to the orphanage, and it was placed above her crib so she could become familiar with their faces. It took nearly a year, but eventually the decision was appealed in court and overturned.

Finally, on Mother’s Day of 1996, Patti and Ted went to the orphanage and met their child for the first time. At just over two years old, she was only 17 pounds.

“She was a little scared,” Patti said. “She was unsteady in her gait and wasn’t talking.”

The little girl had a Romanian name, Iona, and ironically the middle name Alexandra.

Patti said the name “Christina” came to mind and when Will said he thought they should name her Christina, it was a done deal.

Once home, the Alexanders quickly began adjusting to life as a family of four.

Ted accepted his former job in Shelby, and they moved back to their hometown shortly after the adoption.

Patti said Christina ate nonstop for the first nine months and quickly began learning to talk. She went to Rainbow Connection preschool and began making friends.

“She’s been a blessing ever since,” Ted said.

Christina said she bonds over livermush with her dad, which her mom isn't a fan of, and he often cuts out cartoons from the newspaper and texts them to her. The father and daughter go to church together and have done mission trips together.